Quilting Business Success

In our final episode of 2025, we chat with mother-in-law/daughter-in-law team Lesleigh and Sarah Sisson, founders of Happy Bee Quilts in Las Vegas. Just a year into longarm quilting, they’re blending family creativity, design skills, and business experience to build a growing multigenerational quilting venture. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Quilting Business Success, we sit down with Patti Ackerman of Cobalt Quilting in Alexandria, Virginia. Patti shares her 20-year journey in longarm quilting—from discovering quilting through a Bernina class after Desert Storm, to starting her business with a Statler in 2005, to growing a thriving studio that serves both individual quilters and commercial clients. Patti talks abou...

Join us for this inspiring episode of Quilting Business Success featuring Kerrie Curtis, owner of Utah Valley Quilting. For the past 13 years, Kerrie has built and grown a thriving longarm quilting business in Springville, Utah—running up to four Statler machines in her busy shop! In this episode, Kerrie shares: ✅ How she got started with longarm quilting ✅ The steps she took to grow her busines...

Meet Nancy Davis Altman — a quilter with 50+ years of experience, over 4,000 quilts under her belt, and a passion for helping others succeed in longarm quilting! 🧵✨ In this candid interview, Nancy shares how she grew a thriving longarm business, the lessons she learned (including when to say “no”), and why edge-to-edge quilting is her go-to. You’ll hear tips on pricing, building your customer ba...

Over three decades ago, when their youngest son was born, Martha made a life changing decision. With six children at home and a desire to be more present in their daily lives, she was determined to find a way to contribute financially without sacrificing time with her family.   Her opportunity came unexpectedly. Martha’s parents owned a small fabric shop, and one day her father asked her to w...

Lisa Totty is a seasoned quilt maker with over 50 years of experience and has spent more than 20 years specializing in longarm quilting. In January 2025, she launched her own quilting business, turning a lifelong passion into a professional endeavor. Lisa brings a wealth of knowledge, hands-on expertise, and insight into what it takes to build a thriving quilting business rooted in craftsmanship a...

Christine is the proud mom of three wonderful young adults. Bitten by the quilting bug in 2013, she began her journey with free motion quilting on a domestic machine. As her skills grew, transitioning to longarm quilting felt like the natural next step. Today, Christine is finally living the message she’s always shared with her children: if you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your lif...

Quilter, Author, Designer, and Lover of All Things Quilty! Linda Thielfoldt has been passionately quilting for over 50 years, earning national recognition with her work featured at major shows across the country. As a teacher and speaker, she encourages quilters to embrace the business of quilting, face machine quilting with confidence, and continually improve in every aspect of the craft—whether...

Page Johnson is an award-winning longarm quilter and educator based in Minnesota, known for her expertise in both free-motion and computerized quilting with the Gammill Statler. Since 2001, she has completed over 17,000 quilts through her business, The Quilting Page, and teaches nationally and internationally, including on Gammill’s recent Caribbean Cruise. Page also designs digital patterns and s...

Jerry is currently retired, following a successful career as a Software Engineer and Project Manager in the Aerospace industry. His interest in quilting began through his wife, a dedicated quilter, and in 2004 they decided to purchase a quilt store in Thousand Oaks, California. Now in its third location, their quilt store has been in business for 21 years. In January of this year, Jerry and his te...

Brenda began her longarm journey five years ago when she moved to be near her father in-law, who was retiring from his own longarm quilting business. He passed down his skills and knowledge, sparking Brenda’s passion for quilting. Since then, she has continued to grow her expertise through classes and hands-on experience—and she hasn’t looked back!   Today, Brenda runs a full-service qui...

Originally from Flanders, New Jersey, Doc’s journey into quilting began while pursuing a PhD in Theatre for Youth. What started as a single quilting project quickly turned into a deep passion—one that eventually led him away from the stage and into the studio. Now, through his quilting business, The Quilt Doc, he blends his love for teaching with artistic excellence, offering a full spectrum of qu...

Please note that there are a few instances where the audio briefly cuts out due to technical issues. We appreciate your patience and hope you still enjoy the valuable insights shared in this episode! We had a very special guest on our podcast! Denise has been passionate about quilting since 2004, but for years, she quilted by checkbook rather than machine. That changed in 2019 when she purchased h...

We had a very special guest on our podcast! Sandy Kuhl has been married to her very supportive husband, Doug, for 38 years. Together, they have two children and one grandson. She has been sewing since she was a little girl and has been quilting for the past 18 years. In 2010, she purchased her Gammill, which has been an integral part of her quilting journey. Sandy owns and operates her business, K...

We had a very special guest on our podcast! Don has been longarm quilting for over 20 years with a handguided machine. He joined the Gammill family in January of 2024 as a Service Technician and now has an Ascend. He enjoys all aspects of quilting and has began designing patterns for PatternCloud. Tune in to hear his amazing quilting story! Do you need help with your quilting business? Check out A...

This  special episode  takes a unique turn! Until now, we’ve exclusively interviewed quilters who run successful businesses. Today, we’re stepping behind the scenes to explore an essential part of those businesses: financing. We’re joined by two amazing experts from American Financial Partners (AFP): Carrie Radloff, Business Development and Marketing Director, and Jackie Paulsen, Directo...

We have a very special guest joining our panel. Deborah is 69 years young and lives with her husband and Bichon Frise in an isolated community in Powell River, British Columbia, Canada. She has three sons and recently welcomed her third grandchild on September 21. Her passions include quilting, cooking, gardening, and spending time with her beloved grandchildren. Tune in to hear her amazing quilti...

We have a very special guest joining our panel. Donna started longarming in 2010 after being downsized from her computer tech job. After overcoming a stroke, she now has a successful quilting business where she prides herself in her custom work and t-shirt quilts. Tune in to hear her amazing quilting story! Do you need help with your quilting business? Check out Accelerate Your Quilting: https://i...

We have a very special guest joining our panel. Ava is a young quilter at heart, but full of experience! She resides in Louisiana where she recently bought a quilt store and purchased her Gammill in January. While juggling school, college, and managing another company, she shares how she succeeds as a longarm business owner!  Do you need help with your quilting business? Check out Accelerate...

We have a very special guest joining our panel. Karma Lackey has had her Gammill since 2007 and has been quilting with it ever since. She currently owns a quilt shop and has been the proud owner since 2019. She talks about her tips and tricks to a great t-shirt quilt as well as how she has thrived as a business owner! Tune in to hear her amazing quilting story!  Do you need help with your qui...

We have a very special guest joining our panel. Kristi Drose has been quilting since 1998. In 2000, she purchased her first Gammill. She started by finishing her own quilts then started quilting as a business. This led to opening her own store, where she also teaches and lectures at guilds. She now quilts on a Gammill Statler.   Tune in to hear her amazing quilting story!  Do you need he...

We have a very special guest joining our panel. Kate discovered fabric and sewing when she was about eight years old and hasn’t looked back since. She stitched clothing for herself and others for many years. It wasn’t until her thirties that she got into quilting, but fabric and color have always been her passion.   Tune in to hear Kate and her husband's amazing quilting story!  Do you n...

We have a very special guest joining our panel. Cynthia Wheeler, the owner of Finely Finished Longarm Quilting, has been in the quilting business for 35 years, starting when quilt-making 'rules' were way different than they are today. Every time her machine, Esther Ramona, is revved up, it's a rule-breaking adventure. Cynthia says, "With ER’s Ascend upgrade, they will be creating all-new rules!" &...

Welcome back to another episode of the Quilting Business Success Podcast! Tonight, we have a very special guest joining our panel. Charlene has been in the quilting business full-time for 13 years and has been making quilts and other crafty items for her entire life. Her love for quilts came from her grandmothers, the two most influential women in her life. Tune in to hear his story! Do you need h...

Welcome back to another episode of the Quilting Business Success Podcast! Tonight, we have a very special guest joining our panel. Andrew Snavely is from Stanwood Washington and is the co-owner of Birdsbill Mercantile with his husband Charles Birdsbill. They run a full service longarm, customer quilting and urban farm business that serves the PNW and beyond.  Tune in to hear her story! Do you...